Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-02-25
AN OCEAN VOYAGE.
A Burlingtonian on his Travels-The
French Line of Steamships.
HAvRE, FRANCE, Jan. %, 1887.


HAVRE, FRANCE, Jan. 90, 1857.
To the Editor of the Free Press
Our voyage to Europe has impressed
upon us some facts of interest. We Sc
lected the French line of steamships, be-
cause it would land us much nearer our
present destination (EgypD than the Gun
ard line to Liverpool. 1t was a judicious
choice. The French line has lately eclips-
ed itself. Last year its new service began.
1t added four remarkable steamships to
its fleet already large. Each is of 1000
tons burden and each ihas three-fold en-
CINE of 5000 horse power. We sailed on
the finest of these vessels, ia Cham
payne" She cost 81 100000 she is $40
feet long, 43 feet deep and 60 feet wide
If she could be placed on Main street she
would occupy the space between the Van
Ness House and the Burlington Savings
bank, and would stand higher than the
express office. Her masts would screen
from an observer who would look at her
from the Fletcher Library, all the build
ings of the whole block at the west side
of the square. Such is the scope of the
marine architecture now employed. This
mighty hull is built of steel plates, rivet-
ed to iron ribs. There is no wood en-
ployed in her construction except the fin
ishing of the rooms. Upon her and her
consorts the "Companie General Transat-
lantique" is now depending (and most
JUSTLY to encounter successfully the ri
valry first of the English lines, namely
the Cunard the lnman, the Guion and
the State lines to Liverpool and the An
Choir line to Glasgow, second that of the
German lines to Hamburg and Bremen
and thirdly that of the Florio line Gtal-
lam to Genoa and Naples.
The air Is always pure throughout the
ship. No smells abound. a tone of deli
cate nicely pervades the little rooms of
three berths each, called outside and i'll
side "cabines." Their chairs boudoirs,
mirror frames and berths are of polished
solid mahogany. The deepest of pure hair
mattresses on woven wire, forms a most
inviting "cOuchette," a complete water
works on board gives the comfort of 9Th
avenue residence to every part of the
ship. The outside rooms seven feet
square, run outside all around the vessel
and have each round port hole window
10 inches in diameter. First class passage
IN these rooms costs 500 The inside
rooms are the next tier of rooms, (also
all around the edges of the ship They
have no window, but are ventilated by
tube to the deck above. First class in
these costs so. All the rooms are equally
lighted by Edison electric lights and all
are equally luxurious.
The Grand Saloon" is 60 feet square,
and is truly Respondent with scarlet Gov
erings on its five long tables and with its
scarlet window hangings. 1t has cardi-
nal red coverings on the 100 chairs and
and a crimson carpet over the whole
floor The centre OF the ceiling commu-
nlcateS with the room above, by a fine
opening IL feet square, surrounded with
elaborate panel work, testooned with
carved wreaths and flowers. The sides
and pillars of the saloon below are finish
ca III mahogany, profusely gilt. Fifty
Edison electric lights, make the combined
effects OF this magnificent room simply
superb at night and the - windows iliu
inmate brilliantly by day so that it is
cheerful and cosy at all times, and totally
lacks that certain tone of gloom that the
solid structure of ocean ships usually en-
tails on them
We have met with a cultured company
in our fellow passengers. Representa-
tives from our best American society We're
gathered here and many an old "voya-
GER" assured those around them that they
have crossed the ocean so often and so
often, and yet never IN so fine ship as
this"
People seem to be hungry at sea. The
famous French cuisine with wine in
cluded free of charge" is held out rs an
important indncement to the public to
sail by this line. A lunch at "A. m, fnll
breakfast "a la fourchette," at 10 lunch
a t. and Table d'hote" dinner (of the 30
minute order and many successive
courses at 5 also final lunch at 9p. m.
Very few of the passengers cared for more
than three of these meals.
The long rows of bottles, of red and
white wines standing along the centres of
the tables Ton rough days lying there
"a 1tn tlH trIll ht1t | n
that so much have the drinking habits of
our best society become modified, that
uniformly the walters removed the bot
ties from the table, at the close of the
meals, as full as they were when they
put them on. OF our whole table of 81
guests, only two lmbibed extensively.
Nine years ago travelled by this line,
when the contrary was the tact.
From the day we left New York, Janu
airy %, nearly till our arrival at Havre,
the wind was almost Il gale, in our favor,
The speed of the ship averaged 400 miles
day. The force of the 5000 horse power,
added to that of the wind drove us on at
rate which was eXhilarating. rhe sharp
low parted the mighty waves like pillow,
and sent the rifted burrows in sheets of
foam at either side often two rods wide.
The deep was churned by our powerful
screw into long wake of white foam, all
day, and a longer wake of phosphOres-
cent fire all night. Every breaking wave
was harmonious on every hand, so that it
seemed, not that the ship lighted up the
ocean, but the ocean the ship. or our
four tall masts hut the foremost was
used. The other three were left bare but
they piled up the canvass, sail on sail at
the front as high as they dared so that,
led on by the gale at the bow, and pushed
on by the screw at the stern our rate was
grand. One gentleman in his enthusi-
asm said, why this is not voyage at
all, This is a swishing, foaming, rush
ing, seething, boiling, frothing, rolling,
plunging scud right straight across the
sea" We had no fog, and no one on
board was sea sick. Warm weather
enough to sit on deck in comfort all day.
Nights brilliantly clear.
THEODORE A. HOPKINS.
MONTPELIER WANTS A CARNIVAL.